Fallen From Grace
by Iris Irine
Summary: A Renee Epstein fic. Summary: Brains, grace and wit. Those were the codes Renee Epstein had abode her whole life. It was the same code that had helped her to the place she has right now. *Written a long time ago, so it's not cannon*


**Whoa, some names are spelled really differently in the Gray Ark.  
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_**Scanlation and fansub - Gray Ark  
Renee Epstein - Renny Apstein  
Malcom C. Leverrier - Malcom C. Lvellie  
Bak Chan - Bak Chang**_

**But since Renny Apstein sounded a bit odd (and in the site here the name in the character list is still spelled Renee E.) , I decided to maintain Renee Epstein. And I still forgo the use ****of "é" in "Ren****ée".**

**Enjoy~  
And please review :)**

**_Standard disclaimer apply._**

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**Fallen From Grace**

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Brains, grace and wit._

Those were the codes Renee Epstein had abode her whole life. It was the same code that had helped her to the place she has right now.

Her family was not a prominent one such as the Lvellie Family in Europe, or the Chang Clan in Asia. The House of Epstein was non influential in the Order or in the America. The Epstein joined the fight against the Millennium Earl only half a century ago.

Renee was no great beauty and she knew it—she wasn't as charming or elegant as the other daughters. Renee grew up as a non influential, non prominent, unknown but brilliant apprentice scientist of the Epstein in the North American Branch. The Black Order didn't know who she was nor care about her. She was just another scientist with potential in the Order.

She had to fight her way to the top alone with all she has.

First she made herself a match for the other brilliant scientists. Show them that she was not one to mess with. She beat them fair and square, and made sure that they couldn't retaliate back to her. She eliminated all hindrances.

Then, she tried to do many experiments and discoveries alone, risking herself to the dangers. She got acknowledgment for her efforts from Central that way.

She was no longer just a scientist—she was Renee Epstein of the North American Branch.

_She was graceful in her own way._

She made sure that she earned it. Renee worked hard to maintain her prestige and pride; she was kind, charming, witty and brilliant. All were the traits ideal for a leader. Therefore when the old head of the North American Branch passed due to old age, she ascended the throne. She brought fame, power and wealth to the Epstein Family.

_Brains, grace, wit and the Order were all she had._

_"Synthetic Disciple Project"_—her first major assignment from the Order as the head of the North American branch was to create an apostle of God.

Renee was elated to know that she was now looked upon the same caliber as the Chang Clan. She would give her all. She would create a disciple of God second to none, even to the original exorcists.

But her initial enthusiasm turned into a frown upon the last stages of the project.

She didn't mean to thwart God's creation or will. This was... heresy against God.

Renee and a youth from the Chang Clan opposed the project and ended it. They swore to never again commit the same taboo. A young life was already sacrificed—it was too much.

They sealed off the dark legacy as taboo and tried to forget it—she now refer to the taboo as _"it"_, from their minds, and everything went back to the same before the blasphemy was committed. Renee resumed her position as head of the North American Branch and continued doing numerous experiments.

When she forgot, she could be the same old Renee Epstein. She joked with others, threw witty comments and thought with clear logical reasons. Renee was famous for her brilliant brains and her witty comments.

Particularly, she enjoyed teasing the youth from the Chang Clan, Bak Chang was his name, about his not-so-secret crush on the sister of the Black Order's supervisor.

She and Bak were the same. They committed it together and they erased it together. They have the same thoughts and principle concerning it. It gave her a sense of camaraderie with him.

She was happy to meet with him and the other of the Black Order at the main headquarters, to have a serious discussion on one table with them, the generals and the Central representatives—Special Inspector Malcom C. Lvellie and Inspector Howard Link.

Special Inspector Lvellie was the same man who spied her talent years ago and gave her her first morbid prided assignment.

Even in the semi urgent state they were all in, Renee kept being cool-headed and collected. She had trained relentlessly hard for years to be the way she was. But she found all those efforts were useless against the onslaught of the Noah known as Lulu Bell and the horde of akuma.

She was scared out of her mind as she bore witness the massacre. She could do nothing when all the other scientists sprung into action. She was shocked to see how easily they were killed. She was powerless to stop the level three from evolving to level four.

Renee almost lost her life and her prided life-work that day—the Order was her life and she'd put all her efforts into it. She could not—would not let it all to waste.

So when Lvellie gave her another assignment under the hush of secrecy, she took it. Renee would not let the Black Order fall, the attack before had opened her eyes that they were too weak.

Renee reopened and renewed the Order's dark legacy. Right now, the taboo seemed to be their only meaning of survival. Be it the akuma egg, the akuma itself or half akuma. With her brains, it was possible to achieve.

Madarao, Tevak, Tokusa, Kiredori and Goushi. They were the former ordinary Crow members—now her latest masterpiece, the _"third exorcists"_—half human, half akuma.

With them on her sides, she entered the new main headquarters of the Black Order. The disdain on Komui Lee and Bak's face was clear as the sun. Renee could not throw her usual witty remark to the Asian Branch's head for the very idea itself repulses not only them, but her too.

"Why, Renee?! It was we who sealed away the Order's dark legacy as taboo, was it not?! So why...?!" Bak questioned.

Renee remained quite despite herself.

"Have you forgotten the tragedy of nine years ago?!!" he shouted.

Swallowing the bitter tasting bile in her mouth she recited the same thing for the umpteenth time. "The attack on headquarters... helped us realise that that was a mistake."

She saw the struck expression on both their face with growing sadness and guilt. Bak and her—they weren't the same after all. For she couldn't stand the nightmares plaguing her every night ever since the invasion.

"For the humans to prevail over the akuma, some sacrifices are necessary."

_For the Order was all she had left._


End file.
